The meeting room was filled with almost all of Konoha's high-ranking officials.
Sitting at the head of the table were the five members of Konoha's highest management team. Naturally, the Third Hokage sat in the center.
On either side of the Third Hokage were the Chief Advisor, Yusuke, and the Honorary Advisor representing the Daimyo. Further down were the Hokage advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Below the five at the head of the table sat the clan leaders of the various families and the heads of various organizations.
The average age of the attendees sitting around the conference table was about forty. Yusuke, a young man under twenty, sat near the head of the table, making him stand out.
But even though Yusuke was young, no one dared to underestimate him. Whether in terms of his personal combat strength or his ability to handle clan and village affairs, Yusuke had already proven his abilities with his actions.
"I'm sure everyone is well aware of the Kumogakure incident. The reason I've gathered you all is to brainstorm and see what countermeasures we can take."
Once everyone was present, the Third Hokage spoke slowly.
Although he said they were brainstorming, the Third Hokage had already gone to the Hyuga clan the night before and reached an agreement with them. They would make Hyuga Hizashi, a member of the Hyuga branch family, a political sacrifice. He would be executed and sent to Kumogakure as a token of apology from Konoha.
For a moment, the entire meeting room was filled with discussions. Some suggested appeasing Kumogakure for the sake of the village's stability, while others suggested not giving in to Kumogakure, even if it meant going to war.
Yusuke didn't say anything. He simply watched as everyone present gave their opinions.
His current status and position were different. He couldn't easily express his opinions. Once he voiced his opinion, he would have to take a decisive role and settle the matter.
His gaze swept over Hyuga Hiashi at the conference table, and Yusuke had an idea to win over the Hyuga clan.
Hyuga Hiashi was only thirty years old. As the saying goes, "Thirty years old, one has established oneself." At this time, Hyuga Hiashi was at the stage where he wanted to make a name for himself.
From Hyuga Hiashi's performance, Yusuke could see that he didn't want to sacrifice his younger brother. He was only forced to give in due to the pressure from the Third Hokage and the clan elders.
As the discussion deepened, the Third Hokage gradually guided everyone's thinking towards appeasing Kumogakure. The voices advocating for appeasement grew louder.
Other attendees, who were unwilling to submit, also saw the Third Hokage's intentions. Without a strong leader to guide them, they could only shut their mouths in frustration.
When the discussion had gone on long enough, the Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction. He exchanged glances with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, ready to reach the final conclusion of the meeting.
"Since everyone has no objections, then for the sake of the village, we can only ask the Hyuga clan to make a sacrifice…"
Hearing the Third Hokage's announcement, Hyuga Hiashi closed his eyes in pain. Because of his impulsiveness, his younger brother would pay the price with his life. And because of his weakness, he couldn't stop this from happening.
"Wait!"
However, before the Third Hokage could finish, Yusuke spoke slowly.
Seeing Yusuke suddenly speak, the Third Hokage's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes revealed a look of vigilance.
His worst fears had come true.
"The Third Hokage is truly wise and experienced. The appeasement plan, considering purely material interests, can indeed minimize the village's losses. We only need to sacrifice one member of the Hyuga branch family to ensure the stability of the entire village."
At this point, Yusuke paused. Everyone present knew that what Yusuke was about to say was the real point.
"But Third Hokage-sama, there are many things in life that are more important than profit and life. If we simply compromise, we're abandoning the dignity of the entire village, the will of all the predecessors of Konoha!"
"Kumogakure ninjas came to our glorious Konoha and kidnapped the Hyuga clan's heir. After their plan failed, we, Konoha, are actually going to apologize and even execute the clan leader's younger brother and send him to Kumogakure."
"Such shame, you, as Hokage, can endure it. But I, as Konoha's Chief Advisor, absolutely cannot agree!"
Hearing Yusuke's words, even with his deep composure, the Third Hokage couldn't help but feel ashamed. His face turned dark. Many members of the pro-war faction were excited.
People have blood. Most people will fight back when they are insulted.
If it was completely unavoidable, that's one thing. But at this time, although Konoha was weakened, it still had the reputation of being the number one ninja village. Although Kumogakure was also strong, it wasn't strong enough to force Konoha to submit.
At this time, Hyuga Hiashi also opened his eyes. His body trembled slightly.
Seeing Yusuke, who was so assertive, stand his ground against the Third Hokage, Hyuga Hiashi couldn't help but admire the young man. At the same time, a glimmer of hope to save his brother's life arose in his heart.
"It's easy to say, but do you know how many people will be sacrificed if we go to war?" the Third Hokage said solemnly.
"A country… a village without dignity is like a person without a backbone. Besides, it's just Kumogakure. They don't deserve for us, Konoha, to bow our heads!"
"Third Hokage-sama, think about what the First Hokage or the Second Hokage would have done at this time."
After speaking, Yusuke didn't wait for the Third Hokage to say anything else. He led Itachi, who was standing behind him, out of the meeting room. As Yusuke left, the Honorary Advisor representing the Daimyo also left.
This advisor was simply a helper that the Daimyo had arranged for Yusuke. He followed Yusuke's lead in everything.
The meeting couldn't continue. The Third Hokage could only temporarily dismiss the meeting and reschedule it to continue discussing countermeasures. At the same time, he called his two advisor friends to discuss how to refute Yusuke's points.
Back in the Uchiha clan, Itachi asked Yusuke curiously, "Teacher, why didn't you take advantage of the situation to finalize the plan for this matter at the meeting? I saw that many people were moved by your words, especially the clan leader of the Hyuga clan."
Yusuke smiled, "It's not difficult to finalize this matter, but the more important thing is to use this opportunity to undermine the Third Hokage's authority. That's why I want to drag things out for a while."
"What's your plan then?" Itachi asked curiously.
"Itachi, do you know what's most terrifying?" Yusuke said slowly.
Itachi thought for a moment and shook his head. He didn't grasp the core of his teacher's words, so his answer wouldn't be correct.
Yusuke sighed, "It's public opinion! How heroic Konoha's White Fang was. Didn't he still die because of public opinion?"
He had also experienced the White Fang era and knew how glorious the White Fang had been.
At this point, Yusuke's expression turned serious, "Itachi, I have an important mission for you!"
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